The government is already doing everything to hasten the forfeiture of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) sites in the country, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said.
"I read that in the newspapers that it is the Senate that will look into it. But we are already doing everything to hasten the process," Bersamin said in an interview on Tuesday evening, Dec. 17.
However, he said, the government cannot just grab those properties as the forfeiture procedure under the law must be followed.
"Except that we have to give due process to whoever claims to be the owner of these assets. Hindi naman pwede i-grab basta (We cannot just grab them). But we have already in place, existing rules and regulations about forfeiture," he further said.
The Executive Secretary also said that President Marcos does not need to issue a directive on the forfeiture of POGO sites, considering that there are existing laws on such procedure, and those sites would eventually be forfeited given that those are involved in a crime.
"He does not need to issue a directive. It’s already a given that they will be forfeited if they were involved in a crime," Bersamin said.
The Palace official also said that those buildings will become assets of the government if the forfeiture procedure succeeds.
On their possible purpose after the forfeiture, Bersamin said "any kind of purpose that is legit to the government and to the use of the property."